This invention relates to wart removal, and more particularly to a method and device for accomplishing wart removal.
A wart is a papillomatous growth characterized by a relatively thick, tough, keratinous outer layer. It is believed that a virus causes warts. A wide variety of wart removal techniques are known in the art. Wart removal techniques include burning and freezing. These techniques must typically be performed by a physician in a clinical setting. Various lotions and medicaments have been developed for topical application. Still, it is difficult to identify a lotion or medicament that is safe for a patient to use at home and that is still able to penetrate the relatively thick, tough, keratinous outer layer of a wart. Physicians have used scalpels and razors to remove warts by cutting or paring. A variety of tools or devices have also been proposed that use roughened surfaces to remove wart tissue over a period of days or weeks by rubbing or abrading. Cutting or paring a wart with a scalpel or razor generally provides superior results as compared to rubbing or abrading a wart with a roughened surface. Still, it is inconvenient and costly for a patient to make repeated trips to a physician for frequent cutting or paring treatments. For obvious safety reasons, physicians and patients are reluctant to have the patient use a scalpel or razor for repeated cutting and paring at home. Nonetheless, using a roughened surface to slowly rub or abrade wart tissue leaves much to be desired. For example, the roughened surfaces typically lack the cutting depth and sharpness to effectively penetrate the stratum corneum, the relatively thick, tough, keratinous outer layer of a wart.